1972 & 1974 Dodge Dart Swingers

Sometimes the guy gets the girl, or in this case, two hot Swingers. It isn't what you're thinking, though. These are Dodge Dart Swingers, a '72 and a '74 that I picked up from a junkyard.

2/11While attending college at Western Illinois University, aspiring....

In my first year at WIU, I became fast friends with the local junkyard owners who were very nice people. I had found a '74 Swinger sitting in the yard, looking rather depressed. It was green with a black top. Rusty and beaten, the poor Dart needed a lot of work. I asked my friends what the story was on the Dart, and I was told it was sent to the junkyard when it had become too rusty for the owner.

I politely asked if I could buy it from them, and they said that I could; just let them know when I would like to pull it out of there, and they would get it up front for me. In the meantime, I could work on it there.

It was nearing the end of my first year at school, and I had no way to get the car home. They said that the Swinger was no trouble, whenever I could get it out of there is fine, and it wasn't in the way, so I returned home for the summer to work on my '71 Challenger and other miscellaneous items.

I came back to WIU for my second year and in one of the first weekends I could, I returned to the junkyard. I was surprised to find yet another Dart sitting there, this time the '72. It was yellow with white top, a 318, power steering, power disk brakes, and the large bolt pattern 8 3/4 rear end. It was a sweet little car.

4/11....owners of a local junkyard, scoring a deal on two Dart Swingers....

I walked in the office while my friends were chit-chatting, and we all talked about the summer and what had occurred. Once the main talking was done, they said, "So we got you another Swinger." Apparently, the owner couldn't get it running anymore, the gas tank had rotted out, and the car wouldn't start, but it would turn over.

We made a deal and both cars were mine for a mere $500. The '72 had a title, but the '74 did not.

5/11....This month we'll let him tell you the story of his find in his own words.

I spent the next few months working on the '72, getting a gas tank, and trying to figure out the ignition issues. By Thanksgiving break of that year, I still could not figure out what was wrong. Upon returning home with the '72, my father and I got to work on it. We finally figured out that the points were shot, we got some new ones, a few pumps of the gas, and the car started right up.

Unfortunately, I was unable to keep the car, college bills were pilling up, and I wanted to get my Challenger going, so the '72 went to a good home, and I made some money for the Challenger. I never did get the '74 out of the yard-I couldn't get it running right, and it was stuck in the mud up to the framerails. I left it where it was at the junkyard. I transferred to Northern Illinois University that following semester and haven't been back since.